Captain William Ewart Fairbairn and Captain Eric Anthony Sykes were among the first men to train British Commandos in close-quarters knife fighting. The two men had adapted their knife fighting skills from their studies in Shanghai. Together they developed th F-S Fighting Knife. the first F-S knives were made between November 1940 and January 1941, while full war production was at its height. The knives were extremely popular among commandos, and to this day, they are considered to be one of the very best fighting knives ever created.